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Efficiency
Another conclusion from our research is that people tend to organize items in the most efficient manner possible. This generally is caused by the desire to save time and for organizational systems to be as convenient as possible. Below are examples and analysis from our research of the importance of efficiency in organization. Structured Observation #1 Our first structured observation was for a teacher's school desk organization system. The desk was organized in a way so that items she used the most were located in the drawer that was easiest to access. Every time she sat down at the desk, she would automatically open the drawer and be able to start working right away. Because things were organized by how much she used them, we felt this related to efficiency. Knowing exactly where each item is has helped her to save time and be more organized when she is trying to accomplish different tasks. Structured Observation #2 Our second structured observation was for a specific area of a kitchen in which the subject made school lunches for her kids. She designated this space to making lunches, and had a cutting board on the counter, cabinet above the counter which kept sandwich supplies, and drawer below the counter with compartments for silverware, sandwich bags, and paper lunch bags. Each morning she had to make school lunches for four kids, five days a week, and did not have a lot of time before going to work. The area is set up so that she can quickly make lunches without needing to move from one area of the kitchen. Everything that she needs was within arms reach. We felt this related to efficiency because it saved her time when making lunches, and allowed her to do it more quickly and get to work on time. Structured Observation #3 This observation was for Meg Gerten, and how she organized her four kitchen silverware/tool drawers, which were all stacked on each other. The top drawer had forks, spoons, and knives that were used many times a day. The second drawer had sharp knives and specialized silverware that were used often, on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. The third drawer had seasonal items, and the fourth drawer had random items that were rarely used. Because the items are ordered by how many times they are used, it shows efficiency in useage. Having items that are used the most be easily accessible makes the organization system more efficient and time-saving when doing tasks like cooking or setting the table. Structured Observation #4 The fourth structured observation was for Margaret Vick's linen closet, filled with linens and personal care products. The different items are organized in places where she can quickly and easily reach them when needing to perform different tasks. Things such as hair accessories, which were frequently used, were placed in plain view on an easy to get to shelf. The top shelf had exxtra towels, sheets, table clothes, blankets, and small pillows that were rarely needed. The system was organized this way so that Margaret could save time when needing to use different items. She organized her linen closet in this way primarily so that she could save time. Structured Observation #5 The fifth structured observation we conducted was with Danette Gonzalez, and for her quilting and fabric closet. She had it organized where each fabric was placed into bins based off the color, and newer patterns that she used were placed in the front of the closet. Her system relates to efficiency because she was able to quickly identify where each fabric would be located. This especially helped her if a friend would compliment a quilt and want one with the same pattern, when she could then quickly grab that pattern out of the closet. By having things organized by color she was able to be more efficient when grabbing fabric from the closet. Structured Observation #7 The seventh structured observation we did was for Mary Krause's Christmas shopping system. She had an Xcel document with each person in the family (including extended family), when their birthday is, how old they are, and all of the previous presents they had received for Christmas or their birthdays. Because Mary shopped for Christmas presents throughout the year, keeping track of the gifts already purchased helped her to save time when performing last-minute Christmas shopping, because she already knew exactly who she needed to shop for. It also helepd her to save time when wrapping the presents before Christmas, because she could simply refer to the list to know who each present was for rather than trying to remember. Efficiency when Christmas shopping was very important because of the size of the entire family and how many people were given presents. Saving a little bit of time for each person added up to a great amount of time. Structured Observation #9 The ninth structured observation we completed was for Becky Krause Hepper, and how she organized her kitchen pantry. The food that her 3 and 5 year old sons consumed often was located on lower shelves so that they could easily reach it. Items she used the most when cooking were right above the kid's shelves, and items she did not want the kids to get into were located at the highest shelves. The pantry was organized in an efficient way because everything is easy for Becky to reach and use, especially the things that she uses most often. Placing the kid's food on lower shelves helps her to save time because she does not need to assist them every time they need a snack. Having the pantry organized in an efficient manner was very important to her, especially because she is a working mom and is also in charge of doing the majority of the cooking and preparing meals for the family.